I’d always planned to make my sons a survival guide before college, like my dad did for me, but it became apparent that they’d need it much sooner. Their life skills needed some finessing. My nephew had told me that he hoped his future college roommate wouldn’t be a slob. His own room was strewn with clothes on the floor, rumpled bedsheets and a cluttered desk. I gently pointed this out and he said, “That’s right, I don’t want to live with someone like me.” Teenagers, for the most part, are not great roommates. They may, in fact, be the worst. I decided to make a Guide to Life for mine to point them in the right direction.
Shower every day: Good personal hygiene isn’t optional; it’s about respecting yourself and others around you.
Keep your phone charged: Staying reachable is important and can even be a safety issue when teens are out and about.
See chores through from start to finish: Tasks like laundry, trash, and dishes shouldn’t be half-done — follow through builds responsibility.
Eight-hour off rule: Your electronics, and you, must be off for eight consecutive hours each night.
I often sit in wonder and marvel at the fact that I am already a parent of a kid who is at the edge of 17. With a heart overflowing with all the emotion. The edge of 17 feels like the real turning point of youth. Where the pressures of the future begin to weigh down. The endless questions about life plans after high school. The standardized tests lurk around the corner. One more summer before the wind blows him in a new direction. The beginning of the end of a journey that in so many ways feels like it just began. I watch him, from a close distance but a distance all the same. Glimpses of a future I know is coming so quickly and that I will not be a part of every day anymore.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.